Judd-Ofelt parameters of the up-conversion phosphors: Er~(3+) doped BaGd_2ZnO_5/PMMA and NaYF_4/PMMA

We proposed a new approach to determination of Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters of Er~(3+) doped phosphors via their absorption spectra. To validate this approach, JO parameters of Er~(3+) doped Ba BaGd_2ZnO_5/PMMA and NaYF_4/PMMA composites were calculated and in a good agreement with the other glass and crystal. The spontaneous radiative transition probability, branching ratio, and radiative lifetime of the optical transitions were calculated by using the Judd-Ofelt theory. Intense near-infrared emission at 1553 nm was observed under 980 nm laser diode excitation at room temperature. The samples possessing high full-width at half-maximum reach 85 nm have potential application in broadband optical amplifier.     

Optical properties and Judd–Ofelt analysis of Nd2O3 nanocrystals embedded in polymethyl methacrylate

PMMA matrices were doped with nano-crystalline neodymium oxides synthesized by thermal decomposition process. X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy measurements were carried out to investigate the structure, phase, and the morphology of the Nd_2O_3 nanocrystals and those embedded in the PMMA matrix. The average grain sizes were estimated 35 ± 6 nm and 46 ± 4 nm for non-annealed and annealed Nd_2O_3 particles, respectively. The grain size distributions(GSD) were calculated from the diffraction peaks of the annealed and non-annealed Nd_2O_3 powders and doped PMMA samples. The mass density, refractive index. UV-Visible absorption spectra were measured and the data were analyzed using the Judd-Ofelt approach to determine the oscillator strengths, the spontaneous emission probabilities and the branching ratios as a function of the nano-crystalline Nd_2O_3 content in the range of 0.1 wt.%-20 wt.% of MMA. Luminescence spectra upon 808 nm diode laser excitation were carried out in the wavelength range of 850-1550 nm at room temperature. The photoluminescence study has shown that the reasonably sharp emission peaks were observed upon heat treatment at 800 ℃ for 24 h for all concentrations of Nd_2O_3 nanopowders in PMMA. The infrared laser transition of Nd~(3+) ions at about 1.06 μm due to the ~4F_(3/2)→~4I_(11/2) transition was analyzed and discussed in Nd_2O_3 system for their possible applications in the photonic technology.     

Physical,structural and optical studies on magnesium borate glasses doped with dysprosium ion

Intense visible emissions from dysprosium(Dy3+) ions doped glasses became prospective for diverse technological applications. In this paper, physical, optical and structural properties of magnesium borate glasses doped with varied concentrations of Dy_2 O_3 were examined. Such glasses were synthesised by melt quenching method and characterized at room temperature using several analytical techniques.Luminescence and absorption spectra(in the visible region) of as-quenched samples were used to evaluate the physical and optical properties. XRD pattern confims the amorphous state of as-quenched samples. The Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectra of glasses reveal various bonding vibrations assigned to different functional groups. UV-vis-NIR spectra disclose eight absorption bands accompanied by a band for hypersensitive transition positioned at 1260 nm(~6 H_(15/2)→~6 F_(11/2)). The values of direct and indirect optical energy band gap of the studied glasses are decreased with the increase of Dy~(3+) ion contents. The photoluminescence spectra of all glasses under the excitation of 380 nm display two prominent emission bands centred at 497 nm(~4 F_(9/2)→~6 H_(15/2), blue) and 587 nm(~4 F_(9/2) →~6 H_(13/2), green).The achieved intense luminescence from the proposed glass composition may be beneficial for solidstate laser applications.     

Growth and Spectrum Properties of Ce: YVO4 Single Crystal

The 1.0% (atom fraction) Ce³⁺ doped YVO₄ single crystal was grown by the Czochralski technology in a protective atmosphere. The absorption spectrum, emission spectrum and excitation spectrum of the crystal were measured. Three absorption peaks at 473, 557 and 584 nm were observed. The luminescent spectra indicate that strong blue-green-yellow light emission may be caused by a blue light excitation, indicating that the Ce:YVO₄ crystal has potential application in creating complex white light, besides being used in optical devices. The transition mechanism is explained and also illustrated briefly.     

Photoluminescence Characterization of Sm3+ -Doped Fluoroborate Ceramics

Sm³⁺ -doped fluoroborate ceramics (BaO-ZnO-Al₂O₃-B₂O₃-NaF) were fabricated as a potential material in illumination and display. The density, surface modality, microstructure and fluorescence were measured and characterized. The ceramics were well densified without pores and they were proved to be amorphous. Under blue and UV light excitations, the opaque fluoroborate ceramics doped with Sm³⁺ absorbed the most of excitation radiation and emited intense reddish orange light. The emission spectrum of Sm³⁺ -doped fluoroborate ceramics under 404 nm excitation consisted of four intense emission bands peaking at 564, 600, 645 and 708 nm, respectively, and the 600 nm reddish-orange emission band was the most intense. Excitation and emission spectra indicated that commercial UV and blue laser diodes, blue and bluish-green LEDs and Ar⁺ optical laser were powerful pumping sources for the fluoroborate ceramics. The rare earth doped ceramics with various visible emissions were useful for developing new color light sources, fluorescent display devices and UV sensors.     

Optical Properties and Spectroscopic Parameters of Sm （DBM）3 Doped Polymethyl Methacrylate

Optical absorption spectra of Sm(DBM)3 doped PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) in near infrared and visible region are presented. The energy levels were assigned and analyzed in terms of the free-ion Hamiltonian model. Energy levels and reduced matrix elements calculations were carried out using the complete 198 SLJ basis sets for the 4f^5 configuration. Judd-Ofelt parameters were evaluated and used to predict the radiative properties of the sample. The theoretical and experimental values for radiative lifetimes and branching ratios were discussed.     

Optical CT reconstruction of 3D dose distributions using the ferrous-benzoic-xylenol (FBX) gel dosimeter

In recent years, magnetic-resonance imaging of gelatin doped with the Fricke solution has been applied to the direct measurement of three-dimensional (3D) radiation dose distributions. However, the 3D dose distribution can also be imaged more economically and efficiently using the method of optical absorption computed tomography. This is accomplished by first preparing a gelatin matrix containing a radiochromic dye and mapping the radiation-induced local change in the optical absorption coefficient. Ferrous-Benzoic-Xylenol (FBX) was the dye of choice for this investigation. The complex formed by Fe3+ and xylenol orange exhibits a linear change in optical attenuation (cm-1) with radiation dose in the range between 0 and 1000 cGy, and the local concentration of this complex can be probed using a green laser light (lambda = 543.5 nm). An optical computed tomography (CT) scanner was constructed analogous to a first-generation x-ray CT scanner, using a He-Ne laser, photodiodes, and rotation-translation stages controlled by a personal computer. The optical CT scanner itself can reconstruct attenuation coefficients to a baseline accuracy of < 2% while yielding dose images accurate to within 5% when other uncertainties are taken into account. Optical tomography is complicated by the reflection and refraction of light rays in the phantom materials, producing a blind spot in the transmission profiles which, results in a significant dose artifact in the reconstructed images. In this report we develop corrections used to reduce this artifact and yield accurate dosimetric maps. We also report the chemical reaction kinetics, the dose sensitivity and spatial resolution (< 1 mm3) obtained by optical absorption computed tomography. The article concludes with sample dose distributions produced by "cross-field" 6 MV x-ray beams, including a radiosurgery example.     

Luminescence properties of polymers containing europium complexes with 4-tert-butylbenzoic acid

The binary europium complex EuL3 (L=4-tert-butylbenzoate) and ternary europium complexes EuL3TTA0.1 (TTA=2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone), EuL3DBM0.5 (DBM=dibenzoylmethane) and EuL3phen0.5 (phen=1, 10-phenan...     

Synthesis and optical properties of LiNd(PO_3)_4 nanocrystals dispersion in DMSO/TBE

Lanthanide doped nanocrystals with strong fluorescence, long lifetime at high doping concentrations have great potential application in bio-imaging and liquid gain medium. LiNd(PO_3)_4(LNP) crystal was reported to be one of the most excellent laser crystals with high Nd3+ concentration, and their nanocrystals synthesized via improved combustion method for the first time had strong emission intensity and long fluorescence lifetime of 122 μs. Besides,LiNd(PO_3)_4 nanocrystals can be dispersed in mixed solvents of DMSO/TBE(CHBr2 CHBr2) to form a transparent colloidal dispersion, and Judd-Ofelt theory was used to evaluate their optical parameters. In summary, LiNd(PO_3)_4 nanocrystals possess long lifetime(116 μs), low solvents quenching rate(4.9%), large emission cross section(7.63 × 10~(-20) cm~2) and high quantum yield(35.2%) under high Nd3+ ions concentration(1×10~(20) cm~(-3)), which would be the most competitive colloidal gain medium of optical amplification and laser with LD pump and potential biomaterial with low particles concentration.     

Nd-doped structurally disordered YSr3(PO4)3 single crystal: Growth and laser performances

Disordered-structure crystals have drawn increasing attention as promising ultrashort laser material hosts owing to their broad linewidth. Herein, a novel disordered Nd:YSr₃(PO₄)₃ (Nd:YSP) crystal with good quality was successfully grown via the Czochralski pulling technique. The absorption and fluorescence spectra of the Nd:YSP single crystal were recorded at ambient temperature. The maximum absorption cross section for Nd:YSP single crystal is found to be approximately 3.89 × 10⁻²⁰ cm². The stimulated emission cross section for Nd:YSP crystal at ∼1060 nm was determined to be 7.64 × 10⁻²⁰ cm² with the full width half maximum value of 22 nm. The fluorescence lifetime of the Nd³⁺ ions in the Nd:YSP crystal is fitted to be 288 μs. Diode-pumped continuous-wave laser operation is firstly realized at approximately 1060 nm. The maximum output power value from the Nd:YSP crystal is 714 mW, corresponding to a slope efficiency of ∼12.8%. The results indicate that the Nd:YSP crystal with a disordered structure may be a promising disordered laser host.     

Effect of alkali metal oxides R2O （R=Na, K） on 1.53 μm luminescence of Er3＋-doped Ga2O3-GeO2 glasses for optical amplification

This paper reported the thermal stability and spectroscopic properties of Ga2O3-GeO2-Na2O-K2O (GGNK) glasses doped with Er3+. The GGNK glasses were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (D...     

Optical Limiting Respome in Er^3＋-Doped TeO2 -Nb2O5 -ZnO Glass

The nonlinear absorption properties of Er^3＋ doped telluride glass were investigated with picosecond laser pulses. The optical limiting response was measured with a transmission technique and reverse saturable absorption （RSA） with a Z-scan technique, which proved that the glass was a promising material for practical optical limiters. The experimental resulted showed that the excited absorption was responsible for the measured RSA, resulting in the optical limiting response. The measured data could be well simulated with a rate equation model to obtain the absorption cross sections of the excited state.     

Upconversion luminescence of KGd（MoO_4）_2：Er~（3＋）,Yb~（3＋） powder prepared by Pechini method

Er3+ doped potassium gadolinium molybdate (KGM) phosphor with sensitizer Yb3+ ion was synthesized by the Pechini method using citric acid and ethylene glycol. The crystallization processes of the phosphor precursors were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC), which indicated that ultrafine uniform crystallites of KGM:Er,Yb were obtained by sintering the precursors at above 650 ℃ for 5 h. Upconversion luminescence (UL) spectra of the samples ...     

Effect of Nd~(3+) on spectroscopic properties of lithium borate glasses

The spectroscopic properties of lithium borate glasses as a function of Nd3＋ ions concentration were reported.Optical absorption spectra of these glasses showed a number of absorption bands in ultra violet and visible region.Optical absorption edge was found to shift towards the longer wavelength（red shift） with increase in Nd2O3.Luminescence spectra revealed three major bands at 902, 1063 and 1334 nm which was due to 4F3/2→4I9/2, 11/2 ＆13/2 transitions of Nd3＋ ions.Luminescence intensity was maximum for 1 mol.% Nd2O3 and further increase in Nd2O3 resulted in luminescence quenching.The luminescence quenching behavior at higher concentration of Nd2O3 was attributed to the Nd3＋-Nd3＋ interaction in the glass matrix.An absorption and emission property of these glasses suggested that these glasses could be useful for 1.06 μm infrared laser applications.     

Study of erbium (III) doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles by photoacoustic spectroscopy

Nanocrystalline titania as photocatalyst has attracted considerable attention for its potential use in environmental cleaning. Recently, lanthanide ions doped titania samples have been shown to increase the photocatalytic efficiency of selected reactions. In this work, TiO₂ nanoparticles doped with Er³⁺ were prepared via an ultrasonic assisted sol-gel method. The optical properties of the samples were determined by photoacoustic (PA) spectroscopy. It was found that the absorption edge shifted to lower wavelength when the particle size fell into nanometer range, which is the evidence of a quantum size effect. The nature of ligand bonding to Er³⁺ and the structural properties were investigated with the PA absorptions of the f-f transitions of Er³⁺, which are sensitive to the local environment. The results showed that TiO₂ gel heated at 70 °C still contained abundant trapped water and ethanol, and the environment around Er³⁺ was similar to the one in the aqueous ion. The “degree of covalency” for Er³⁺ bonding increased continuously during the gel-to-anatase transition. For the sample calcined at 1100 °C, however, the f-f transitions of Er³⁺ showed blue shifts and the intensity of the hypersensitive transition decreased, indicating an increase of ionicity in the Er³⁺ bonding. This can be attributed to the segregation of Er³⁺ ions to the external surface, forming Er₂Ti₂O₇ during the anatase-to-rutile transition, which was confirmed with XRD and TEM measurements.     

Luminescence studies of MBrCl： Eu2＋ （M=Ca, Sr, Ba）

Europium doped MBrCl (M=Ca, Sr, and Ba) phosphors were prepared by solid state reaction in reductive atmosphere. Photolu-minescence (PL), photostimulated luminescence (PSL) after X-ray irradiation and optical absorption studies of MBrCl:Eu2+ (M=Ca, Sr, and Ba) revealed that: (1) blue light emission, under the excitation of 300 nm, was observed in all these phosphors; (2) the shape of the emission spectra in CaBrCl:Eu2+ could be changed by varying the bromine/chlorine ratio during synthesis, while that in SrBrCl:Eu2+ and BaBrCl:Eu2+ showed no change; and (3) PSL was observed in SrBrCl:Eu2+ and BaBrCI:Eu2+ after X-ray irradiation. Difference absorption spectrum (DAS) in SrBrCl:Eu2+ showed two broad bands centered at about 470 and 570 nm, and DAS in BaBrCI:Eu2+ showed two bands at about 550 and 675 nm, respectively. This enabled the use of He-Ne laser (633 nm) or even semiconductor light-emitting diodes (LED) instead of gas lasers for photostimulation.     

Visible luminescence of lanthanide ions in Ca3Sc2Si3O12 and Ca3Y2Si3O12

The crystalline materials Ca₃Sc₂Si₃O₁₂ and Ca₃Y₂Si₃O₁₂ were characterized by different crystal structures, as the former is a cubic garnet, while the latter is an orthorhombic compound. We investigated the optical spectroscopy of these materials doped with several trivalent lanthanide ions and compared the results for the two hosts. Polycrystalline samples were prepared by solid state reaction, both undoped and doped with the trivalent lanthanide ions Eu³⁺, Tb³⁺ and Sm³⁺. Emission, excitation and Raman spectra of these materials were measured at temperatures ranging from 300 to 10 K. The optical spectra were assigned and discussed, and the effects of the crystal structure of the host on the spectroscopic behaviour were addressed. The technological potential of these compounds in the field of optical materials and devices was discussed.     

Structure,Upconversion and Fluorescence Properties of Er3+-Doped TeO2-TiO2-La2O3 Tellurite Glass

Tellurite glasses were generally applied in rare earth optical materials due to their excellent physical and chemical properties. In this study, novel tellurite glasses composed of TeO₂-TiO₂-La₂O₃ were prepared by conventional melting-quenching method. Some basic physical parameters such as density, refractive indices, transition temperature and crystalline temperature were measured. The structure was analyzed by Raman spectra. The absorption, upconversion and fluorescence spectra were measured by UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer and spectrofluorimeter. Under 980 nm laser excitation, upconversion luminescence centered at 531, 545 and 657 nm corresponding to the transition ⁴H_11/2→⁴I_15/2, ⁴S_3/2→⁴I_15/2 and ⁴F_9/2→⁴I_15/2 respectively, were observed. The effects of TiO₂ concentration on structure and upconversion luminescence intensity were discussed. The result indicated that the upconversion intensity increased as the phonon concentration decreased. The fluorescence properties of Er³⁺ doped glass were also studied. The dominant peak centered at 1531 nm and full width at half maximum (FWHM) was 64 nm. The Er³⁺ stimulated emission cross-section was calculated on the basis of McCumber theory. The possible mechanism of upconvesion and fluorescence were proposed.     

Luminescent and magnetic properties of multifunctional europium(III) complex based nanocomposite

The luminescent rare earth (RE) complex based multifunctional nanocomposites offer new potential applications of multimodal imaging (magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), fluorescent bioimaging, etc.) that can be associated with therapeutic activities. In this study, we report some results obtained with novel multifunctional Fe₃O₄/Si-amine/Eu(NTA)₃ nanocomposites that are composed of europium(III) complex with 1-(2-naphthoyl)-3,3,3-trifluoroacetone ligands (NTA) (Eu(NTA)₃) and superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. These nanocomposites were functionalized with an amine group for biomedicine application. The multifunctional Fe₃O₄/Si-amine/Eu(NTA)₃ nanocomposites exhibit both good magnetic behavior of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles as a core and strong fluorescent property of europium(III) complex. Their characterizations were analyzed by XRD, SEM, EDX and FTIR spectra. The optical properties were studied in detail by UV-VIS spectra and luminescent emission spectra. The magnetic property was estimated by VMS. The effect of concentrations of luminescent Eu(NTA)₃ complex on luminescent and magnetic properties is discussed.     

EXAFS investigation and luminescent properties of nanosized Tb: Lu2O3 phosphors

Nanosized terbium doped Lu2O3 phosphors were synthesized via a modified co-precipitation processing.The as-prepared Tb:Lu2O3 phosphors was consisted of well crystallized nanosized sphere particles with a diameter of about 30 nnx Local structure of Tb ions in Lu2O3 lattice was investigated by an analytical approach based on Fourier transformation of the extended X-ray absorption fine structure(EXAFS) data.X-ray near edge structure (XANES) spectra suggested that all Tb ions doped were tervalonce.EXAFS results indicated that Tb ions have entered the Lu2O3 cubic lattice by means of solid solution.The coordination number and first shell Tb-O distance dropped with the increasing of Tb concentration.Emission spectra of the phosphors was shown to be typical for Tb3+ with main components at 542,550 and 490 nm,derived from irradiative relaxation of 5D4 level.The emission intensity decreased severely with the increasing of Tb concentration from 1 mol.% to 15 tool.%,suggesting a significant concentration quenching above 1 mol.% Tb.The reduction of emission intensity was interpreted by higher distortion derived relaxation among the surface state resident Tb3+ ions.